Method for flexible definition and retrieval of behavioral data applicable to multiple participating parties

ABSTRACT

A method for guiding the decision making process prior to a company entering into an agreement, or engaging in a transaction, or conducting a business event. Policies, factors, weights, and relative priorities for the factors are established for each kind of agreement, transaction or event. Later, the established factors are retrieved and they are operated upon in accordance with an algorithm.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

[0001] This application claims the benefit under Title 35 U.S.C. §119(e)of U.S. Provisional Application No. 60/340,517 filed on Dec. 13, 2001,the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0002] The present invention relates generally to online transactionsand more particularly to the manner of guiding the decision makingprocess prior to a company entering into an agreement, or engaging in atransaction, or conducting a business event.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART

[0003] In any organization, decision makers often have a need toconsider, often simultaneously, a large number of factors, to establishrelative weights to the factors, and to establish relative priorities tothe factors.

[0004] Up until now, the decision making process required the decisionmakers to make decisions in an uncontrolled, unguided, haphazard fashionwithout the ability to use pre-established, yet flexible factors toguide them. Decision making has required the decision-maker to think ofthe factors to be considered on an ad hoc basis and to interweave thefactors as the decision-maker saw fit at the time of the decision.Often, under the need to make a decision quickly, necessary factors werenot considered and the weights and priorities given to particularfactors were inadequate or otherwise faulty for the particular problembeing addressed. Decisions made quickly under stress did not create anefficient, reliable, and consistent method of decision-making

[0005] Accordingly, there is a need for a system that allows adecision-maker to efficiently, accurately, and effectively engage in astructured, yet flexible, decision-making process.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0006] The present invention is directed to method for guiding decisionmaking related to at least one business operation. The method comprisesthe steps of retrieving at least one business policy for at least onebusiness operation; determining and retrieving established factors andestablished relative weights assigned to the established factors for theat least one business operation; and operating upon the retrieved atleast one business policy, the established factors, and the establishedrelative weights in accordance with an algorithm.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007]FIG. 1 is a flow chart showing the steps for establishing abusiness policy for a particular business role.

[0008]FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process in Step1 of the steps for establishing a business policy for a particularbusiness role.

[0009]FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process in Step2 of the steps for establishing a business policy for a particularbusiness role.

[0010]FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process in Step3 of the steps for establishing a business policy for a particularbusiness role.

[0011]FIG. 5 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process in Step4 of the steps for establishing a business policy for a particularbusiness role.

[0012]FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the steps for retrieving a businesspolicy for a particular business decision.

[0013]FIG. 7 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process in Step1 of the steps for retrieving a business policy for a particularbusiness decision.

[0014]FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process in Step2 of the steps for retrieving a business policy for a particularbusiness decision.

[0015]FIG. 9 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process in Step2A of the steps for retrieving a business policy for a particularbusiness decision.

[0016]FIGS. 10, 10A and 10B are flow charts showing the decision-makingprocess in Step 3 of the steps for retrieving a business policy for aparticular business decision.

[0017]FIG. 11 is a flow chart showing the decision-making process inStep 3A of the steps for retrieving a business policy for a particularbusiness decision.

[0018]FIG. 12 is a flow chart showing the decision making process inStep 4 of the steps for retrieving a business policy for a particularbusiness decision.

[0019]FIG. 13 is a table summarizing the concepts underlying theinvention.

[0020]FIG. 14 is an exemplary embodiment of a computer screen that ispresented to a user of the invention that wants to establish defaultentries for its credit policies.

[0021]FIG. 15 is an exemplary embodiment of a computer screen depictingthe establishment of values for a credit item.

[0022]FIG. 16 is an exemplary embodiment of a computer screen forestablishing credit policies for a credit item group.

[0023]FIG. 17 is an exemplary embodiment of an establish computer screenfor establishing credit policies for a credit customer.

[0024]FIG. 18 is an exemplary embodiment of an establish computer screenfor establishing credit policies for a credit customer group.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0025] The present invention is directed to a method for guiding thedecision making process prior to a company entering into an agreement,or engaging in a transaction, or conducting a business event. The methodcan be used in a computer system and in an interactive,computer-implemented system. In carrying out the method, at least onebusiness operation is specified and at least one business policy isestablished for the at least one business operation. Establishing the atleast one business policy includes establishing factors to beconsidered, establishing relative weights to be assigned to each of thefactors, and establishing relative priorities.

[0026] Later, the at least one business policy for the at least onebusiness operation is retrieved along with the established factors andthe established weights assigned to the factors. The decision making isthen guided by an algorithm which operates upon the retrieved at leastone business policy, the established factors, and the establishedrelative weights.

[0027] In one embodiment of the invention, IBM San Francisco BusinessComponents are used to manage the data in an object oriented manner; theobject data is persisted to a relational database. But as will beapparent to those skilled in the art, other data store mechanisms couldalso be used. For example, other embodiments of the invention could useEnterprise Java Beans or some standard SQL mechanism to store theinformation.

[0028] Before explaining a preferred embodiment of the presentinvention, we will first explain some of the concepts underlying theinvention. The concepts are summarized in the table in FIG. 13.

[0029] The role of the company using this invention, shown in column1305, is the first thing to be considered. A company's role maygenerally be described as a supplier of goods and/or services. Morespecifically, for example, and without intending to limit the scope ofpossible roles, when a company supplies credit, it acts in the role of acreditor, 1306; when it plans how to fulfill orders from a customer, itacts in the role of a fulfillment planner, 1307; when it sends invoicesto a customer, it acts in the role of an invoicer, 1308; when it setsthe price of a product or service, it acts in the role of a pricer,1309; when it purchases items, it acts in the role of a purchaser, 1310;when it plans how to replenish items, it acts in the role of areplenishment planner, 1311; and when it sells items, it acts in therole of a seller, 1312.

[0030] A business policy, shown in block 1315, is a factor (a control),or a set of factors (controls), that determine how a company configuresan agreement, performs a transaction, or executes a business event basedon its role in the agreement, transaction, or event. The business policyfactors determine how a company conducts business of a specific type.Business policies vary by policy type. A company using the businessmethod described herein, first identifies the type of policy it wants toset. In an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the types of policies(policy types) that a company can set pertain to credit, 1316;fulfillment planning, 1317; replenishment (of supplies), 1318;invoicing, 1319; pricing, 1320; purchasing, 1321; and selling, 1323. Itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that another embodimentof the invention could include other policy types.

[0031] Once the company identifies the policy type it wants to set, anexemplary embodiment identifies a predetermined set of sub-factors,referred to herein as policy values. For example, if a company wants toset its policy for credit, 1316, identifying the policy type as creditwill produce a list of seven subfactors (FIG. 14) (policy values) whichthe company can set. In an exemplary embodiment, the seven policyvalues, shown in FIG. 14, are payment terms, 1410; payment method, 1412;credit card orders, 1414; credit hold, 1416; credit check method, 1418;update open order balance, 1420; and credit limit, 1422. Identificationof the policy values and choosing from among several sub-subfactorsidentified with each policy value allows the system user to veryprecisely configure the agreement, perform the transaction, or executethe business event in accordance with the company's established businessvalue for the policy type under consideration. It will be understood bythose skilled in the art that the predetermined set of subfactors(policy values) and sub-subfactors for the credit policy type, and forany policy type, can be changed depending upon the needs of the usercompany.

[0032] Generally, each role and policy type has a corresponding businessitem associated with them. The business item is the product or servicebeing provided by the company corresponding to the role it has assignedto itself and the policy type it has associated with the role. In anexemplary embodiment, the business item type is a credit item, 1336,when the user company is in a creditor role and it is setting creditpolicy; the business item type is a planning item, 1337, when the usercompany is in a fulfillment planner role and it is setting fulfillmentplanning policy; there is no business item type when the user company isin a fulfillment planner role and it is setting replenishment policy;the business item type is an invoicing item, 1338, when the user companyis in invoicer role and it is setting invoicing policy; the businessitem type is a pricing item, 1339, when the user company is in thepricer role and it is setting pricing policy; the business item type isa purchasing item, 1340, when the user company is in the purchaser roleand is setting purchasing policy; the business item type is areplenishment item, 1341, when the user company is in the replenishmentplanner role and is setting replenishment policy; and the business itemtype is a selling item, 1342, when the user company is in the sellerrole and setting selling policy. As will be understood by those skilledin the part, other embodiments of the invention could identify otherbusiness items types.

[0033] For each role undertaken by the user company, there is acounterparty, 1325, which is usually a customer of the user company.However, the counterparty could also be a location, such as a warehouse.A counterparty is the other company or location which the user companywill engage during the transaction or event.

[0034] When the user company is in the role of a creditor and is settinga credit policy, the counterparty is a credit customer, 1326. When theuser company is in the role of a fulfillment planner and is setting afulfillment planning policy, the counterparty is the customer or thewarehouse, 1327, to which the planning item will be shipped. When theuser company is in the role of a fulfillment planner and is setting areplenishment policy, the counterparty is the warehouse, 1328, to whichthe planning item will be sent. When the user company is in the role ofan invoicer and is setting an invoicing policy, the counterparty is thecustomer to whom the bill will be sent, 1329. When the user company isin the role of a pricer and is setting a pricing policy, thecounterparty is the pricing customer, 1330. When the user company is inthe role of a purchaser and is setting a purchasing policy, thecounterparty is the supplier from whom the purchasing item will bebought, 1331. When the user company is in the role of a replenishmentplanner and is setting a replenishment policy, the counterparty is thewarehouse to which the replenishment item will be sent, 1332. When theuser company is in the role of a seller and is setting a selling policy,the counterparty is the customer to whom the selling item is sold, 1333.

[0035] The process of an exemplary embodiment of the present inventioncomprises two overall functions: establishing business policies for eachrole and policy type and retrieving the business policies for a specifictransaction after they have been established. After the businesspolicies have been established, they are maintained as default settingsin the system until they are changed by an authorized user of thesystem. The system uses a combination of object-oriented programming andalgorithm based programming.

[0036] Once these steps are followed and the information is entered fora business policy for a particular business role, the informationbecomes the default settings for that specific role and specificbusiness policy until they are changed by an authorized person. It isenvisioned that the settings will be changed infrequently.

[0037] That is, the business policy values assigned by a company toitself represent the default business behavior of the company. Forexample, when the user company takes the role of a pricer, the pricingpolicy values assigned by the company to itself represent the defaultpricing behavior of the company.

[0038] Even if the user company does not change the default values,there can be exceptions to the default values. For example, for anyparticular role selected by the user company, the user company mayassign policy values to the corresponding counterparty, to thecorresponding business item, or to a counterparty/business item link.When policy values are assigned to any of these latter areas, theyrepresent exceptions to the default business behavior of the usercompany and will override some or all of the default settings.

[0039] The system also allows the user company to create groups ofitems. Several things may be placed, for example, into a single policygroup based on a particular set of criteria. For example, a customer maybe a member of a policy group where the policy group is a business groupdesignated to provide policy values for the customer and when no policyvalue for a specific business policy has been assigned to the customer.As another example, a business item may be a member of a policy groupwhere the policy group is a business group designated to provide policyvalues for the business item and when no policy value for a specificbusiness policy has been assigned to the business item.

[0040] Accordingly, when a customer's policy value for a specificbusiness policy is “No Preference” or “No Selection” (these terms beingalternative terms meaning the same thing), the system checks todetermine if the customer has been assigned to a policy group. If thecustomer has been so assigned, the policy value assigned to the policygroup is used.

[0041] An exemplary embodiment of the steps for establishing the variousbusiness policies are shown in the flow charts identified as FIGS. 1 to5. An exemplary embodiment of the steps for retrieving business policiesfor a particular business decision are shown in the flow chartsidentified as FIGS. 6 to 12.

[0042] Establishing a Business Policy for a Particular Business Role

[0043] Referring to FIG. 1, a flow chart showing a brief overview isshown of the steps for establishing a business policy for a particularbusiness role. In Step 1, the system user determines if policy sharingbetween a parent company and the local company is necessary based oninternal policy considerations of the two companies. This step isnecessary where the user company (referred to as the “local company”) isowned and/or controlled by a parent company or where there are divisionswithin a company with a company hierarchy requiring that some aspects ofthe user division be controlled by a parent company.

[0044] Step 1 covers the situation where the user company is in aparent/child relationship with another entity. The user company mustdetermine if the parent/child relationship between the two entitiesrequires the user company to use only the parent's policy values for theparticular transaction, whether the user company has the authority touse some of its own policies along with some of the parent company'spolicies, or whether it has the authority to use only its own policies.As shown in Step 1, appropriate entries are made in the establishingmode depending on how these questions are answered. After these entriesare made, the user company proceeds to Steps 2 and 3. Of course, ifthere is no controlling company (that is, the user company is not achild to a parent company because the user company is not connected inany way to a controlling company), the user company would enter “localvalues only” and proceed to Steps 2 and 3 as indicated by referencenumbers 110 and 120.

[0045] In Step 3, the user company selects the business policy that isto be established based on the policy-sharing determination made in Step1. As explained above, Step 1 determines whether the user company willuse Local Values only, Parent Values only, or both Local and ParentValues. In Step 3, therefore, the selected policy will be either theLocal Policy, the Parent Policy, or a policy based on both Local andParent policies.

[0046] In Step 2, the user company decides whether or not to assign apolicy group based on external policy considerations such as whetherbusiness policies are assigned to a business item group or to a customergroup. As noted in Step 2, an entry may or may not be entered into thesystem as part of Step 2. After the Step 2 decision has been completed,the process proceeds to Step 3 as indicated by reference number 130.Step 3 has already been discussed above. The Step 3 selection is maderegardless of whether an entry was made in Step 2.

[0047] After Step 3 has been completed, the process proceeds to Step 4as indicated by reference number 140. In Step 4, the user companyselects a value for the type of policy that was selected to beestablished in Step 3. For some policies, the user will select from apredetermined series of alternatives that have been entered into thesystem. For other policies, the user will enter the value. For example,in the case of establishing credit policies, the user will enter adollar amount for the credit limit. As another example, in the case ofpayment method, the user will have a choice of selecting from thefollowing: electronic funds transfer, check, or credit card.

[0048] After Step 4, the user proceeds to Step 5 as shown by referencenumber 150. In Step 5, the user decides whether the value entered inStep 4 should be overridden by policies created for the product orservice that is being sold or provided. For example, the user decideswhether policies assigned to an item or to a customer should overridethe value established in Step 4.

[0049] FIGS. 2 to 5 explain each step of the establishing process ingreater detail.

[0050]FIG. 2 shows in detail the decisions and intermediate steps incompleting Step 1. As shown by reference number 200, the first decisionto be made is whether the active company (i.e., the user company) as itsown values for the particular business role. This first decision isshown in decision block 210. If, as shown by reference number 211, theactive company does not have its own values for the particular businessrole, the decision will be that the active company will use its parentcompany's values and no sharing of values is necessary as shown in block220. Once that decision is made, the process proceeds to Steps 2 and 3as shown by reference number 222. That is, the decisions required bySteps 2 and 3 will be made.

[0051] If, however, the question indicated by decision block 210 is“yes,” reference number 212 shows that the user must identify and setthe type of policy-sharing as one of three alternatives as indicated inblock 260. Reference numbers 214, 216, and 218 point to the threealternatives which are identified as blocks 240, 250, and 260,respectively.

[0052] Alternative 1 choice, indicated in block 240, permits the usercompany to assign “Local Values Only” where the parent company's valuesdo not override local company's values. Alternative choice 2, indicatedin block 250, permits the user company to assign “Local Values andParent Values” where both companies have values for the business role.Alternative 3, indicated in block 260, permits the user company to,assign “Parent Values Only” where the parent company's values overridethe local company's values.

[0053] After the user company selects one of the alternatives indicatedin blocks 240, 250, and 260, reference numbers 242, 252, and 262 showthat the process proceeds to Steps 2 and 3. As indicated above, Step 2may or may not result in an entry being made into the system.Nevertheless, Step 2 must be followed before Step 3 is completed. If noentry is made in Step 2, the process proceeds directly to Step 3 fromStep 1. Even if an entry is made in Step 2, Step 3 proceeds based on thedecision made in Step 1. Accordingly, reference numbers 222, 242, 252,and 262 are all shown as proceeding both to Step 2 and to Step 3.

[0054] In Step 2, the user company decides whether or not to assign apolicy group based on external policy considerations as indicated inblock 120. The external policy considerations are whether businesspolicies are assigned to the business item associated with the policybeing established as indicated in decision block 310 and whetherbusiness policies are assigned to a customer as indicated in decisionblock 320. Reference numbers 305 and 335 indicates that Step 2 requiresthat the decisions in decision blocks 310 and 320 are to be made. Itwill be understood by those skilled in the art that there is no requiredorder for the decisions in decision blocks 310 and 320 to be made. Thatis, the decision in block 310 can be made first; or, the decision inblock 320 can be made first. In addition, the decisions in blocks 310and 320 are alternative decisions designated in FIG. 3 as Alternative 1and Alternative 2, respectively. It is contemplated in an exemplaryembodiment that decisions on both alternatives will not be madesimultaneously for the same business policy. However, as those skilledin the art will realize, another embodiment of the invention could allowdecisions in blocks 310 and 320 to be entered simultaneously for thesame business policy.

[0055] An exemplary embodiment will be discussed wherein the decision inblock 310 is made first. In making the decision indicated in decisionblock 310, the user company decides whether business policies areassigned to the business item associated with the business policy beingestablished. If the answer is no, as indicated by reference number 314,as policy group is not assigned as indicated in block 380 and theprocess proceeds to Step 382 as indicated by reference number 382.

[0056] On the other hand, if business policies are assigned to thebusiness items, as indicated by reference number 312, the next decisionto be made is whether the type of policy being established is“Replenishment.” An example of the Replenishment policy type is shown inFIG. 13 under the column labeled “Policy Type.” If as shown by decisionblock 315, if the type of policy being established is Replenishment,reference numbers 317 and 380 indicate that a policy group is notassigned and reference number 382 shows that the process proceeds toStep 3.

[0057] If the decision in block 315 is “no,” that is, that Replenishmentis not the type of policy being established, then reference number 323shows that the process proceeds to block 340 which directs the user toselect a policy group from the applicable business item groups. If abusiness item group had previously been selected for the business itemnow being considered, and if the newly selected policy group isdifferent from the previously selected business item group, block 340shows that the current selection will automatically delete thepreviously selected group. After the selection indicated in block 340has been made, reference number 342 shows that the process proceeds toStep 3.

[0058] In Alternative 2, decision block 320 shows that the user mustdecide whether business policies are assigned to a customer of the usercompany. If the answer is “no,” as indicated by reference numbers 325and 380, a policy group is not assigned for the customer and the processproceeds to Step 3 as shown by reference number 382.

[0059] On the other hand, if the decision for block 320 is “yes,” asindicated by reference number 327, the user company selects a policygroup from available customer groups as indicated by block 360. If acustomer group had previously been selected for the customer now beingconsidered, and if the newly selected policy group is different from thepreviously selected customer group, block 360 shows that the currentselection will automatically delete the previously selected group. Afterthe customer policy group has been selected, reference number 362indicates that the process proceeds to Step 3.

[0060] Step 3, block 140, is shown in FIG. 4. Reference numbers 222,242, 252, and 262 are reminders that, in one aspect, Step 3 can proceeddirectly from Step 1 based upon the decisions made in Step 1 as shown inFIGS. 1 and 2. Reference numbers 382, 342, and 362 are reminders that,in another aspect, Step 2 decisions should be made before Step 3proceeds. In Step 3, block 140, the user selects the policy that is tobe established based on the policy-sharing determination made in Step 1.Referring first to Step 3B, block 420 shows the limiting effect of twoof the alternative decisions made in Step 1 as indicated by referencenumbers 222 and 262.

[0061] Referring back to FIG. 2, it is seen that reference number 222resulted from the requirement to use the parent company's values asshown in block 220 and that reference number 262 resulted from therecognition that the parent company's values override the localcompany's values as shown in block 262. Step 3B, block 420 shows,therefore, that if parent company's values are used as shown in blocks220 or 262, the system does not allow the option to select a policy tobe updated and the analysis ends, as shown in block 420. On the otherhand, reference numbers 242, 252, 382, 342, and 362 show that theprocess continues if the decisions preceding them were made. Thus,reference numbers 242 and 252 originated in FIG. 2 after entry ofselections in either block 240 or 250, that local values had some inputinto the decision making process. It is further understood that any ofthe decisions in Step 2 require that the process continue to Step 3. Thecontinuation of the process is indicated by Step 3A in block 400.

[0062] In Step 3A, block 400, the user company is presented with a listof alternative business policies from which to select. Afterward,reference number 405 indicates that the process proceeds to block 410where the user company selects the business policy to be established,after which the process proceeds to Step 4 as indicated by referencenumbers 415 and 160.

[0063] In Step 4, the user selects a value for the selected type ofpolicy being established. Alternatively, and also depending upon thetype of policy being established, a value may have to be entered, ratherthan be selected from a predetermined list of selections. As indicatedby reference numbers 510 and 520, the first decision is based on thecumulative answers to three questions: (1) does the active company haveits own business policy? (2) Does the active company use “Local ValuesOnly?” (3) Are there available policy values for the policy? If theanswers to all three questions are “yes,” reference numbers 525 and 550indicate that the user company may not enter “No Preference” or “NoSelection” as a possible value. On the other hand, if the answer to anyof the three questions is “no,” then reference numbers 530 and 560indicate that “No Preference” or “No Selection” is a possible value.

[0064] Regardless of whether the answer to decision block 520 is “yes”or “no,” reference numbers 555, 565, and 570 indicate that the userselects a value for the selected business policy from a list of possiblebusiness values or enters a value.

[0065] Finally, reference numbers 575 and 180 indicate that the userdecides whether or not the value selected or entered in Step 4 should beoverridden by policies created for the product or service (i.e., theitem) being sold or provided. Once that decision has been made, theestablishing process has been completed.

[0066] FIGS. 1 to 5 show one embodiment of a flow. The flow shown inFIGS. 1 to 5, and the order of the flow, has been used to show one wayin which the system may be used. It will be understood, however, that,in most implementations of the “establish” phase of the invention,entries need not be entered into the system in the order shown in thesefigures. Therefore, for example, data pertaining to Step 4 may beentered before data pertaining to Step 3 and before data pertaining toStep 1. As another example, data pertaining to Step 2 may be enteredbefore data pertaining to Step 1.

[0067] The only two steps which must be implemented in the order shownare Steps 1 and 3. With respect to those two steps, data pertaining toStep 1 must be entered before data can be entered for Step 3.

[0068] FIGS. 14 to 18 will now be used to show exemplary embodiments ofhow the flow charts in FIGS. 1 to 5 are used to establish differentvalues for various aspects of establishing credit related policies.

[0069]FIG. 14 shows a computer screen which is presented to the usercompany that wants to establish default entries for its credit policies.The items in column 1400 are presented to the user by default for theestablishment of the user's credit policies. All of the items in column1402, except “Policy Value” are presented to the user as choices thatthe user can make during the establishing process. The term “PolicyValue” is presented to the user by default. The term “Policy Value”means that the items below it are the values which will be entered bythe user. The items in column 1404 are the default values which havepreviously been entered into the system for this user corresponding tothe default items in column 1400. Thus, for example, the current defaultvalue for the item “Payment Terms” is “Discount if paid in 10 days; duein 30.” If the user were to change the values in column 1402, theentries in column 1404 would automatically change to match the new entryin column 1402. The blocks in column 1406 all fall under the term “Deferto Item.” In column 1404, the user determines which, if any, of theoperative values should be overridden by the values set on thecorresponding item; that is, the product or service being sold orprovided.

[0070] The 1400/1406 intersection corresponds to Steps 1 and 3 in thatthe system asks the user to determine if policy sharing between theparent company and the local company is necessary. The drop down screen(not shown) in column 1402 gives the user the three choices shown inblocks 240, 252, 262 in FIG. 2. In the screen shown in FIG. 14, the userhas selected and entered “Local and parent values.” Since Step 2 doesnot apply to this set of policy values, it does not appear on thescreen.

[0071] Beginning with the 1400/1408 intersection, the system providesthe user with a list of alternative business policies from which toselect as shown in Step 3A, block 400, FIG. 4. The list of alternativebusiness policies are identified at the intersection of column 1400 withrows 1410-1422. The user then has the choices that are made availablethrough the drop-down screens in the places intersected by column 1402and rows 1410-1422; selects which of the business policies to establishas shown in block 410, FIG. 4; and selects (or enters) the values asshown in Step 4, blocks 160 and 570. Policy values in rows 1410-1420must be selected from specific choices provided by the system. Policyvalues in row 1422 is entered by the user.

[0072] The drop down screen in row 1410 provides the following choices(not shown): Discount if paid in 10 days; due in 30, Discount if paid in45 days; due in 60, Payment in full; No Discount. The drop down screenin row 1412 provides the following choices (not shown): Electronic FundsTransfer, Check, or Credit Card. The drop down screen in row 1414provides the following choices (not shown): Credit Check, Do Not CreditCheck. The drop down screen in row 1416 provides the following choices(not shown): On credit hold, not on credit hold. The drop down screen inrow 1418 provides the following choice (not shown): Open orders plusreceivables<=limit. The drop down screen in row 1420 provides thefollowing choice (not shown): Extended net price plus tax.

[0073] Column 1406 implements Step 5, block 180. The user companydecides whether the policies in Step 4 (the policy values entered incolumn 1402 and evidenced as default values in column 1404) should beoverridden by the policies set for the corresponding items. The userindicates that the column 1402/1404 policy values should be overriddenby checking the appropriate boxes in column 1406. Thus, for example, theblock at intersection 1406/1410 has been checked indicating that thepolicy value for payment terms is deferred to (overriden by) the policyvalue for the corresponding item. On the contrary, the deferment blockis not checked at intersection 1406/1414, thereby indicating that checkcredit does not defer to the corresponding item's value.

[0074]FIG. 15 is an exemplary embodiment showing the establishment ofvalues for a credit item. In this case, Step 1 does not apply. Theprocess begins with Steps 2 and 3. Here, the policy is a business item;more particularly, a credit item. Once credit item is entered into thesystem, the user is provided with the information in columns 1500 and1502. The entry at the 1500/1518 intersection is based on Step 2 andblock 570 in FIG. 5. The entries in all intersections except 1502/1516are made from predetermined choices in drop down screens. Except for thedrop down screen at the 1502/1518 intersection, the choices are notshown. “No Selection” is the equivalent of “No Preference” in the flowcharts. The drop down screen in row 1504 provides the following choices(not shown): Discount if paid in 10 days; due in 30, Discount if paid in45 days; due in 60, Payment in full; No Discount. The drop down screenin row 1506 provides the following choices (not shown): Electronic FundsTransfer, Check, or Credit Card. The drop down screen in row 1508provides the following choices (not shown): Credit Check, Do Not CreditCheck. The drop down screen in row 1510 provides the following choices(not shown): On credit hold, not on credit hold. The drop down screen inrow 1512 provides the following choice (not shown): Open orders plusreceivables<=limit. The drop down screen in row 1514 provides thefollowing choice (not shown): Extended net price plus tax.

[0075]FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an establish screenfor establishing credit policies for a credit item group. FIG. 17illustrates an exemplary embodiment of an establish screen forestablishing credit policies for a credit customer. FIG. 18 illustratesan exemplary embodiment of an establish screen for establishing creditpolicies for a credit customer group.

[0076] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that policies,using the method described in FIGS. 1 to 5, and using screens similar tothose shown in FIGS. 14 to 18 may be used to establish policies for allof the policy types, counterpartys, and business item types shown inFIG. 13. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that thechoices and drop down screens may change depending upon circumstances.

[0077] Retrieving a Business Policy for a Particular Business Decision

[0078] Although entries into the establish aspect of the invention maybe made in more than one order and without any priority, the retrieveaspect of the invention operates in accordance with an algorithm bylooking at what has previously been established and operating on thepreviously established entries in a particular order. With someexceptions, the retrieve aspect of the invention is done in accordancewith a priority scheme. Although all parts of the priority list may notapply to all retrievals, the system will search the stored informationto determine if all parts are present and must be accounted for. Thehighest priority, in other words, the highest importance, is given tothe counterparty/business item link, a term that will be defined inconnection with FIG. 7. The next highest priority is the item, whichcomes into play only if “defer to item” was entered into the systemduring the establish aspect of the invention. The next two prioritiesare the customer and then the company.

[0079]FIG. 6 shows the steps that the system may follow when retrievinga business policy for particular business decision. The “retrieving”aspect of the invention is triggered when the user company inputsinformation pertaining to a particular business decision and then asksthe system to analyze the information based upon the data previouslyentered during the “establish” phase of the invention.

[0080] First, Step 1, block 600, the system uses thecounterparty/business item's link value by determining if there is acounterparty/business item link. If there is a counterparty/businessitem link, the system uses its value. If, however, there is nocounterparty/business item link, the system begins with Step 2.Similarly, if the value assigned to the counterparty/business item linkis “No preference,” then the system goes to Step 2. The meaning of theterm “counterparty/business item link” will be explained in connectionwith FIG. 7.

[0081] In Step 2, block 610, the system uses the counterparty's policyvalue, if appropriate. If it is appropriate to use the counterparty'spolicy value, that policy value is used and the analysis ends. At thecompletion of Step 2, the system will either go to Step 2A, block 615,or to Step 3, block 3, depending upon whether the counterparty has beenestablished such that it will defer to item and the value assigned tothe item is ‘No preference.’ That is, if the counterparty has beenestablished such that it will defer to item and the value assigned tothe item is ‘No preference,’ the system will go to step 2A. If, however,the counterparty has been established such that it does not defer toitem, the system will go directly to step 3. In Step 2A, block 615, thesystem retrieves the business item policy group by retrieving thebusiness group that is associated with the business item.

[0082] In Step 3, block 620, the system uses the customer's policygroup's policy value, if appropriate. Step 3A, block 625, is a substepof Step 3 and applies where the system retrieves the customer policygroup where the counterparty is a customer and the system has associateda business group with the customer as the customer's policy group. Ifthe system uses the customer's policy group's value, the analysis endsand that value is provided to the user. If the system does not use thecustomer's policy group's policy value, the system goes to Step 4, block630. Alternatively, the system goes directly from Step 2 or Step 2A toStep 4 if the counterparty is not a customer.

[0083] After Step 2 or Step 3, whichever is appropriate, the system goesto Step 4, block 630. In Step 4, the system uses the company's policyvalue, if appropriate. It may not be appropriate to use the company'spolicy value when the company has been established such that it firstshould defer to the item for its policy value. If the company has beenestablished such that it should defer to the item for its policy valueand the value assigned is “No preference,” the system will return toStep 2A, block 615, and retrieve the business item policy group byretrieving the business group that is associated with the business item.It will be understood that Step 2A may follow Step 4 only if Step 2A didnot previously follow Step 2. If Step 2A follows Step 2, Step 2A willnot be retrieved again following Step 4 because the system will alreadyhave retrieved Step 2A.

[0084] Referring to FIG. 7, sub-steps for Step 1, block 600, are shown.Before discussing FIG. 7 in detail, we will first explain the term“counterparty/business item link.” The term counterparty/business itemlink occurs at the intersection of the value for the counterparty andthe value set for a pertinent business item. For example, a possiblecounterparty may be a warehouse for which a policy value may have beenset during the establish phase of the invention. For a particularwarehouse, the established policy would be to transport something fromthis warehouse by truck. At the same time, a policy value may have beenset for a particular item. For the particular item, the establishedmethod of transport may be by train. The system therefore has to dealwith these two different means of transport when the particular item isto be transported from the particular warehouse. Thecounterparty/business item link is therefore the intersection of theseconflicting policy values. When the system identifies the link, thesystem allows the user to override the policy assigned to the warehouseand the policy assigned to the item.

[0085] Step 1, block 600, shown in FIG. 7, shows how the systemimplements the counterparty/business item link. In Step 1, the systemfirst determines if there is a participating counterparty/business itemlink as shown in decision block 710. If the answer is “no,” the systemgoes to Step 2, block 610. If the answer to decision block 710 is “yes,”the system determines of the counterparty/business item link is “Nopreference” as shown in decision block 720. If the answer is “yes,”(that is, the system does not prefer to use the counterparty/businessitem link), the system goes on to Step 2. If, however, the answer is“no” (that is, the system does prefer to use the link's policy value),the system uses the link's value and the analysis is completed, as shownin block 730. As discussed above, implementation of block 730 allows theuser to override the policy values assigned to the counterparty and thebusiness item.

[0086] Referring to FIG. 8, the flow of the algorithm is shown for Step2, block 610. In Step 2, the system determines, in decision block 805,if there is a participating counterparty. If the answer to the questionis “no,” the system proceeds to Step 4, block 630. If the answer todecision block 805 is “yes,” the system proceeds to decision block 810which determines if the counterparty defer to the business policy thatis assigned to the product or service being provided. That is, decisionblock 810 asks if the counterparty defers to the policy value assignedto an item. If the answer to decision block 810 is “no,” the systemproceeds to decision block 815 which determines if the policy valueassigned to the counterparty is “No preference” for the specifiedbusiness policy. If the answer is “no” (that is, the system does preferto use the policy value assigned to the counterparty for the specifiedbusiness policy), the system uses the counterparty's policy value andthe analysis ends as shown in block 820.

[0087] If the answer to decision block 815 is “yes” (that is, the systemdoes not prefer to use the policy value assigned to the counterparty forthe specified business policy), the system proceeds to Step 3, block620.

[0088] Returning to the explanation of decision block 810, if the answeris “yes,” the system proceeds to decision block 825 where the systemdetermines if the policy value assigned to product or service (i.e., theitem) is “No preference.” If the answer to decision block 825 is “no”(that is, the system prefers the policy value assigned to the product orservice (i.e., the item), the system proceeds to block 830 and uses thepolicy value assigned to the product or service and the analysis ends.

[0089] If the answer to decision block 825 is “Yes,” the system proceedsto Step 2A, block 835. The process of Step 2A is described in detailbelow. After Step 2A is completed, the system proceeds to decision block840 where it determines if a policy group has been assigned to theproduct or service. If the answer to this question is “yes,” the systemsproceeds to decision block 845 which determines if the policy valueassigned to the policy group encompassing the product or service is “Nopreference.” If the answer to decision block 845 is “no” (i.e., thesystem does prefer the policy value assigned to the policy groupencompassing the product or service), the system proceeds to block 850where the system uses the policy value assigned to the policy group andthe analysis ends.

[0090] If the answer to decision block 845 is “yes,” the system proceedsto decision block 855 which asks if the policy value assigned thecounterparty is “no preference.” If the answer to decision block 855 is“no,” the system proceeds to block 860 where the system uses thecounterparty's policy value and the analysis ends. If the answer todecision block 855 is “yes,” the system proceeds to step 3.

[0091] Returning to decision block 840, if the answer to decision block840 is “no,” the system proceeds to decision block 855, where the systemdetermines if the policy value assigned to the counterparty is “Nopreference.” If the answer to decision block 855 is “no,” the systemuses the counterparty's policy value and the analysis ends, as shown inblock 860. If, however, the answer to decision block 855 is “yes,” thesystem proceeds to Step 3, block 620. Alternatively, after step 2A isperformed, the system may proceed directly to step 3. This happens ifthere is no business group associated with the business item as thebusiness item's policy group.

[0092] Referring to FIG. 9, we will now describe Step 2A, block 615.First, the system determines if there is a business group that isassociated with the business item as the business item's policy group,as shown in decision block 1105. If the answer to decision block 1105 is“no,” the system proceeds immediately to Step 3, block 620. If theanswer to decision block 1105 is “yes,” the system determines if thepolicy type is replenishment, decision block 1110. If the answer todecision block 1110 is “yes,” the system determines if the replenishmentitem is a member of a functional equivalent group, as shown in decisionblock 1115. If the answer to decision block 1115 is “no,” the systemdoes not designate a policy group for the business item as shown inblock 1120 and the system proceeds to Step 3. If, however, the answer todecision block 1115 is “yes,” the system retrieves the replenishmentitem's functional equivalent group and designates it as thereplenishment item's policy group, block 1125, and proceeds to Step 3.

[0093] Returning to decision block 1110, if the answer is “no,” thesystem identifies the role to be performed, block 1130, and identifiesthe policy type associated with the role to be performed, block 1135.Once the procedures of blocks 1130 and 1135 have been performed, thesystem determines if there is a business group that is associated withthe business item as its policy group for the policy type associatedwith the role to be performed, as shown in decision block 1140. If theanswer to decision block 1140 is “no,” the system proceeds immediatelyto Step 3. On the other hand, it the answer to decision block 1140 is“yes,” the system retrieves the business item policy group as shown inblock 1145 and then proceeds to Step 3, block 630.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 10, Step 3 will now be described. First, thesystem determines whether the counterparty is a customer in decisionblock 1005. If the answer to decision block 1005 is “no,” the systemproceeds immediately to Step 4, block 630. If the answer to decisionblock 1005 is “yes,” the system proceeds to Step 3A, block 620. Step 3Awill be described below in connection with FIG. 11. After Step 3A hasbeen completed, the system proceeds to decision block 1010 whichdetermines if there is a policy group assigned to the customer. If theanswer to decision block 1010 is “no,” the system proceeds immediatelyto Step 4.

[0095] If the answer to decision block 1010 is “yes,” the systemdetermines if the customer's policy group defers to the business policythat is assigned to the product or service (i.e., the item) beingprovided. If the answer is “no,” the system determines if the policyvalue assigned to the customer's policy group is “No preference” for thespecified business policy, decision block 1020. If the answer todecision block 1020 is “yes,” the system proceeds to Step 4, block 630.If the answer to decision block 1020 is “no,” the system uses thecustomer's policy group's policy value and the analysis ends, as shownin block 1025.

[0096] Returning to decision block 1015, if the answer is “no,” thesystem determines if the policy value assigned to the produce or service(i.e., the item) is “No preference” for the specified business policy,decision block 1020. If the answer to decision block 1020 is “no,” thesystem uses the policy value assigned to the customer's policy group andthe analysis ends, as shown in block 1025. However, if the answer todecision block 1015 is “yes,” the system determines if the policy valueassigned to the product or service being provided (i.e., the item) is“No preference” for the specified business policy. If the answer todecision block 1030 is “no,” the system uses the policy value assignedto the product or service being provided and the analysis ends, as shownin block 1035.

[0097] If the answer to decision block 1030 is “yes,” the systemimplements Step 2A, block 615 in the manner previously described withrespect to FIG. 9. The explanation of FIG. 9 is incorporated byreference. After Step 2A has been completed, the system determines if apolicy group is assigned to the product or service (i.e., the item). Ifthe answer to decision block 1050 is “no,” the system proceeds todecision block 1020. The operation of decision block 1020 and block 1025has been previously explained. The previous explanation is incorporatedherein by reference.

[0098] If the answer to decision block 1050 is “yes,” the systemdetermines if the policy value assigned to the policy group for theproduct or service being provided is “No preference” for the specifiedbusiness policy, decision block 1035. If the answer to decision block1035 is “no,” the system uses the policy value assigned to the policygroup for the produce or service being provided and the analysis ends,as shown in block 1040. If the answer to decision block 1035 is “yes,”the system proceeds to decision block 1020. The operation of decisionblock 1020 and block 1025 has been previously explained. The previousexplanation is incorporated herein by reference.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 11, Step 3A will now be described. To implementStep 3A, the system proceeds to decision block 910 to determine if thecounterparty is a customer. If the answer is “no,” the systemimmediately proceeds to Step 4, block 630. If the answer to decisionblock 910 is “yes,” the system proceeds to blocks 920 and 930. In block920, the system identifies the role to be performed. In block 930, thesystem identifies the policy type associated with the role to beperformed. After both identifications in blocks 920 and 930 have beenmade, the system proceeds to decision block 940 where the systemdetermines if there is a business group that is associated with thecustomer as the customer's policy group for the policy type associatedwith the role to be performed. If the answer to decision block 940 is“no,” the process proceeds to Step 4. If the answer is “yes,” the systemproceeds to block 950, retrieves the customer policy group and thenproceeds to step 4.

[0100] Referring to FIG. 12, Step 4 will now be described. First, thesystem determines if the company defers to the product or service (i.e.,the item) being provided for the specified business policy, as shown indecision block 1205. If the answer to decision block 1205 is “no,” thesystem uses the company's operative policy value and the analysis ends,as shown in block 1210. If, however, the answer to decision block 1205is “yes,” the system determines if the policy value assigned to theproduct or service being provided is “No preference” for the specifiedbusiness policy, as shown in decision block 1215. If the answer todecision block 1215 is “no,” the system uses the policy value assignedto the product or service (i.e., the item) being provided and theanalysis ends, as shown in block 1220.

[0101] Alternatively, after step 3A is performed, the system may proceeddirectly to step 4 as shown by the dotted line. This happens if there isno customer group associated with the customer as the customer's policygroup.

[0102] If, however, the answer to decision block 1215 is “yes,” thesystem causes two things to happen. First, the system proceeds to Step2A, block 1225, which has previously been described in connection withFIG. 9. The explanation of FIG. 9 is incorporated herein by reference.After Step 2A, the system determines if there is a policy group assignedto the product or service (i.e., the item), as shown in decision block1230. It the answer to decision block 1230 is “no,” the system uses thecompany's operative policy value and the analysis ends, as shown inblock 1210. If the answer to decision block 1230 is “yes,” the systemdetermines if the policy value assigned to the policy group for theproduce or service (i.e., the item) being provided is “No preference”for the specified business policy, as shown in decision block 1235. Ifthe answer to decision block 1235 is “no,” the system uses the policyvalue assigned to the policy group for the produce or service beingprovided and the analysis ends, as shown in block 1240. If, however, theanswer to decision block 1235 is “yes,” the system uses the company'soperative policy value and the analysis ends, as shown in block 1245.

[0103] It is understood that the present invention is susceptible tomany different variations and combinations and is not limited to thespecific embodiments shown in this application. In addition, it shouldbe understood that each of the elements disclosed all do not need to beprovided in a single embodiment, but rather can be provided in anydesired combination of elements when desired. It will also beappreciated that a system in accordance with the invention can beconstructed in whole or in part from special purpose hardware or fromconventional general purpose hardware or any combination thereof, anyportion of which may be controlled by a suitable program. Any programmay in whole or in part be comprised of or be stored on a system in aconventional manner, or remain whole or in part be provided into thesystem over a network or other mechanism for transferring information ina conventional manner. Accordingly, it is understood that the abovedescription of the present invention is susceptible to considerablemodifications, changes, and adaptations are intended to be consideredwithin the scope of the present invention, which is set forth by theappended claims.

What is claimed:
 1. A method for guiding decision making related to atleast one business role, said method comprising the steps of: (a)retrieving at least one business policy for at least one business role;(b) determining and retrieving established factors and establishedrelative weights assigned to said established factors for the at leastone business role; and (c) operating upon the retrieved at least onebusiness role, the established factors, and the established relativeweights in accordance with an algorithm.
 2. A method for guidingdecision making related to at least one business role, said methodcomprising the steps of: (a) specifying the at least one business role;(b) establishing at least one business policy for the at least onebusiness role, said establishing the at least one business policyincluding the steps of: (i) establishing factors to be considered; and(ii) establishing relative weights to be assigned to each of thefactors; (c) retrieving the at least one business policy for the atleast one business role; (d) determining and retrieving the establishedfactors and the established relative weights assigned to said factorsfor the at least one business role; (e) operating upon the retrieved atleast one business policy, the established factors, and the establishedrelative weights in accordance with an algorithm.
 3. The method of claim2, wherein the step of specifying the at least one business roleincludes the step of selecting said at least one business role from thegroup consisting of creditor, fulfillment planner, invoicer, pricer,purchaser, replenishment planner, and seller.
 4. The method of claim 2,wherein the step of establishing the at least one business policy forthe at least one business role includes the step of selecting said atleast one business policy from the group consisting of credit,fulfillment planning, replenishment, invoicing, pricing, purchasing, andselling.
 5. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of establishing thefactors to be considered includes the step of selecting at least onefactor from the group consisting of credit customer, ship-tocustomer/warehouse, bill-to customer, pricing customer, buy-fromsupplier, sold-to customer, credit item, planning item, invoicing item,pricing item, purchasing item, replenishment item, and selling item. 6.The method of claim 5, wherein the step of establishing the relativeeights to be assigned to each of the factors includes the step ofassigning at least one numerical value to the at least one selectedfactor from the group consisting of credit item, planning item,invoicing item, pricing item, purchasing item, replenishment item, andselling item.
 7. The method of claim 2, wherein the algorithm operatesupon the factors in accordance with a priority scheme.
 8. The method ofclaim 2, further comprising the steps of: determining if a first companyhas established a first set of values for a business role; determiningif a parent company of said first company has established a second setof values for the business role; selecting one of the first set ofvalues, the second set of values, and a combination of the first set ofvalues and the second set of values.
 9. The method of claim 8 furthercomprising the steps of: choosing a value from one of the first set ofvalues, the second set of values, and the combination of the first setof values and the second set of values; and determining whether tooverride the chosen value with one of a policy for a product to be soldand a policy for a service to be provided.
 10. The method of claim 2,further comprising the steps of: determining at least one of whetherthere is a particating counterparty, whether there is a business groupthat is associated with a business item, whether the particatingcounterparty is a customer, whether a company defers to one of a productand a service being provided; and using at least one of acounterparty/business item's link value, a counterparty's policy value,a customer's policy group's value, and a company's policy value.
 11. Aprogram storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a programof instructions executable by the machine to perform method steps for(a) specifying the at least one business role; (b) establishing at leastone business policy for the at least one business role, saidestablishing the at least one business policy including the steps of:(i) establishing factors to be considered; and (ii) establishingrelative weights to be assigned to each of the factors; (c) retrievingthe at least one business policy for the at least one business role; (d)determining and retrieving the established factors and the establishedrelative weights assigned to said factors for the at least one businessrole; (e) operating upon the retrieved at least one business policy, theestablished factors, and the established relative weights in accordancewith an algorithm.
 12. The program storage device of claim 11, whereinthe device further performs method steps for determining if a firstcompany has established a first set of values for a business role;determining if a parent company of said first company has established asecond set of values for the business role; selecting one of the firstset of values, the second set of values, and a combination of the firstset of values and the second set of values.
 13. The program storagedevice of claim 11, wherein the device further performs method steps forchoosing a value from one of the first set of values, the second set ofvalues, and the combination of the first set of values and the secondset of values; and determining whether to override the chosen value withone of a policy for a product to be sold and a policy for a service tobe provided.
 14. The program storage device of claim 11, wherein thedevice further performs method steps for determining at least one ofwhether there is a particating counterparty, whether there is a businessgroup that is associated with a business item, whether the particatingcounterparty is a customer, whether a company defers to one of a productand a service being provided; and using at least one of acounterparty/business item's link value, a counterparty's policy value,a customer's policy group's value, and a company's policy value.